Coffee-to-go-cups are in the area of sustainability is currently on everyone’s lips. Especially bamboo cups in many colors and beautiful Patterns make the morning coffee pretty to look at.
And the bamboo sounds like a really healthy and sustainable, right? Anyone who buys bamboo Cup, thinks that he is of nature does something Good, finally, the vessels are lightweight and sturdy and are made of natural materials.
However, you may add yourself to the damage, namely, when the filled beverage is too hot.
Bamboo contain beaker of formaldehyde and melamine
The practical bamboo cups are not just as a bamboo wood. Fibers of the bamboo are mixed with melamine-formaldehyde resin (MFH) and processed into a composite, before it is made to cups.
But also, if you don’t break easily, are not bamboo container as stable as some think.
The Federal Institute for risk assessment (BfR) warns that the surfaces are attacked by filling it with hot coffee or tea. If the structure of the Cup is porous, it can remove formaldehyde and melamine-and the health damage.
Bamboo is more dangerous than conventional melamine products
In the case of long-term tests, most of the bamboo cut cups are extremely bad. Individual exceeded the limits by up to 30 times for adults and 120-fold for children.
Bamboo utensils are, therefore, more formaldehyde than pure melamine tableware.
Therefore, the BfR advises not to leave the bamboo cups in a coffee shop with extremely hot drinks fill. Also, you should not use bamboo utensils to heat food in the microwave.
The Federal office for consumer protection and food safety (BVL) looks the danger after Tests in the dishes, from corn flour.
With a frequent use of the health risk increases: “of Particular concern is that the transition of melamine in the food products rise in case of multiple use of the products”, says Dr. Helmut Tschiersky, BVL-President.
Who wants cold or lukewarm drinks or food from bamboo vessels to drink or eat, might do, however harmless.
Stiftung Warentest advises to ban the use of bamboo cups
After the Test, twelve cups, the Foundation’s test were even a step further and calls for the policy to ban the bamboo Cup.
In addition to the Pollutant discharge is another aspect to be misleading: Each of the tested cups contained a plastic and would not rot, if you want to dispose of it. The protection of the environment thought to be an Illusion.
Healthier Alternatives to bamboo Cup
The selection is great! The Verbraucherzentrale Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, advises, to his coffee-to-go, or tea in mugs made of stainless steel, polypropylene (PP) or porcelain filling.
Glass mugs are also wonderful.
Sources
- The Federal office for risk assessment (2019) : equipment from “bamboo product” not for hot beverages or food use, retrieved on: 27.11.2019: https://www.bfr.bund.de/de/presseinformation/2019/47/geschirr_aus_bambusware_nicht_fuer_heisse_getraenke_oder_speisen_nutzen-243171.html
- The Federal office for consumer protection and food safety (2019): Health risks associated with “Coffee-to-go”cups, called on 27.11.2019: https://www.bvl.bund.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/01_lebensmittel/2019/2019_11_26_PI_Jahrespressekonferenz_2019.html
- Stiftung Warentest (2019): bamboo Cup, in the Test, The most release high amounts of pollutants, retrieved on 27.11.2019: https://www.test.de/Bambusbecher-im-Test-Die-meisten-setzen-hohe-Mengen-an-Schadstoffen-frei-5496265-0/
- Verbraucherzentrale Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (2019): bamboo-coffee-cups: 100 percent renewable raw materials? False advertisement!, archived from the original on 27.11.2019: https://www.verbraucherzentrale-mv.eu/pressemeldungen/lebensmittel/bambuskaffeebecher-zu-100-prozent-aus-nachwachsenden-rohstoffen-35919
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*The post “coffee-to-go: a health hazard through the bamboo Cup – the note!” published by FitForFun. Contact with the executives here.